Stand Still, Look Pretty
by staywithmeBL
Summary: Elizabeth Swann had always worked hard to be an independent and strong woman. Now, she's the arm candy for the young and successful James Norrington as he makes his stand on the world. A stranger enters her life and shows her the real beauty in life. WE
1. ONE

Inside, she felt like screaming. Once again she had to call off work. Once again her plans for the night were canceled and a new agenda was created for her. Once again she wasn't the priority.

Twenty five year old Elizabeth Swann stood in front of her closet peering at the dozens of evening dresses in front of her. Thirty minutes ago she was dressed and ready for work. Ten minutes later James called and had some formal for work they had to attend that evening. It didn't matter that she had plans, he needed her to be there. So she stood and wondered what dress would make him look more successful. It was a smaller event, luckily, for the campaign. James Henry Norrington II was an extremely successful lawyer for the young age of twenty eight, and was running for the position of Chicago's mayor. He was well liked and most thought the election was going to be a landslide. The people of Chicago loved that even for a young man, he held true conservative values and came from a well known honorable family. And they loved his pretty little fiancée. James Norrington and Elizabeth Swann were the modern day John and Jackie Kennedy, and that fact only made his popularity go up even more.

Elizabeth decided on a deep orange cocktail dress. The color suited her skin tones well, and it's fit hug her body in the right places and gave off an extremely elegant look. She quickly took it off the hanger, slipped it on and moved into the bathroom to do her hair and makeup.

Just as she was pinning the last few curls to her head she heard the door slam.

"Elizabeth!" The booming voice of her fiancé echoed down the hallway.

"James!" Elizabeth called out in her peppiest voice. "I'm in the bathroom."

She heard his footsteps down the hall and seconds later he emerged in the large bathroom.

"Hi." She said turning to him and giving him a wide grin.

"Elizabeth, What are you wearing?" He said looking her dress up and down.

Elizabeth's smile fell and she quickly looked down at her outfit. "A dress?"

"Elizabeth, you wore that to the Governor's birthday. And it simply won't do for tonight. And it's orange."

"What's wrong with orange?"

"Please understand that if I'm going to win this election, I will need your help. Here," he said handing her a large garment bag. "I had Jessica pick something out today. This will do."

Elizabeth took the bag with a smile plastered on her face. "I'll be ready in just a few moments. When do we need to leave?"

"Dinner is at six."

"I'll be ready soon."

And with that her fiancé marched out of the bathroom to tend to other matters of the evening.

Elizabeth sighed and unzipped her dress. It was just another day in her lie of a life.

* * *

_AN: this is kinda a short chapter, and just a teaser to see what you think...??_


	2. TWO

AN: the first time i posted this, the end was all messed up. i hope it makes more sense now.

* * *

Elizabeth sat out on the patio of the condo her and James shared staring out at the city below her. She loved Chicago. Her father had taken her here on a trip once when she was little and she knew from that moment on that she would live there. She moved from her home in New York when she was eighteen and attended Chicago Institute of Art and Design. She met James at a friend's house when she was a senior, and the rest was history.

"Elizabeth." She heard James' voice from behind her. "You're going to be late for work."

Elizabeth pulled out her phone and glanced at the time and sighed. "I was just getting up to go get ready."

She got out of the chair and stood up to face him. He was dressed in a suit and tie, probably off to some event for the campaign, and looked agitated. Elizabeth knew it was because she wasn't ready to go when he was. They did this every morning. He would drop her off, go and do whatever the day asked of him, and picked her up once he was finished.

"Why don't you take off without me?"Elizabeth suggested, pasting a smile on her face. "I think I'd like to walk today, and I have plenty of time to still get there."

She watched as his face scrunched as he thought about it. "Elizabeth, I don't thi-"

"I think it'll look good in the papers if I appear independent. I've read a few columns that refer to me as a china doll." Elizabeth said without looking at him. This was an absolute lie, of course, but damn she wanted to be alone for once.

James' eyes turned dark and nodded his head. "Fine. I'll see you later."

He turned and walked back inside, slamming the door behind him. Elizabeth smiled at the childish action, and she too went inside to get ready for work.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth was bundled up in her favorite blue pea coat and walking briskly down the streets of Chicago. She was excited she was on her own, for it gave her to do things she was rarely able to do. Years ago, she came to Chicago to become a designer. It was something she had always wanted to do, and even though her father was the governor of New York, he always supported her to do what made her happy.

James, on the other hand, had always been against her having a career, saying it was his old fashioned upbringing that made him so against it. Early in their engagement he had explained to her the values of volunteer work, and two years later Elizabeth realized that it was only for his benefit that she spent her days at homeless shelters, orphanages, or other places that needed help . Her charitably left a good impression on the citizens of the city, which in turn meant that James' popularity only went up.

It wasn't that she hated doing it every day. James was right when he had told her there were values in volunteer work. Every day she was reminded of the troubles of the world, but she knew that even she could do something to bring a smile to someone's face. And she loved that. There was just still a small part of her that yearned to do what she had always wanted to do and have her own chance at making a stand. She realized more and more everyday that once she and James were married, she would never have that chance.

She stopped and looked up at the large building in front of her. Westner and Cohem Art and Design had been her dream job ever since since she was fourteen years old. They were the most prestigious design company in the eastern half of the United States, and was a main reason why Elizabeth attended CIAD. She knew that Maxwell Cohem, one of the owners, had also been a student there.

She watched as people bustled around here, and in and out of the building. Oh, how she wished she could be one of those people.

"You know, you can go inside. They probably won't hurt you." She heard a male British accent say to her, shaking her out of her reverie. She turned and saw the most gorgeous man standing next to her with a smirk on his face. He was tall, sort of, with dark eyes and hair, and from what she could tell, a very muscular frame.

"Oh, I was just, uh, well." Elizabeth stammered out, averting her gaze so she wasn't staring.

"Standing out in the freezing cold?" The man asked, the smirk still apparent on his face.

"No, I wasn't really going in. I was just looking." She said. Instantly she felt ridiculous. '_I was just looking??'_

She watched as the man's eyebrows burrowed in slight confusion.

"I mean." Elizabeth quickly recovered. "I'm thinking about getting some work done on my condo."

"Oh? How so?"

"Uh." Elizabeth slightly panicked and looked back at the building, looking for eyes quickly stopped at the name listed _William J. Turner, Carpentry._ "I'm thinking about getting new cabinets in my condo."

She smiled, and was slightly proud of herself for thinking that quick on her toes. And she was even more impressed with herself because her and James _had_ talked about getting their cabinets re-done.

"Ah, I see. Well I've got to be going inside now. The next time you're out looking you should definitely stop in and talk to Turner. He's in the carpentry division, but he does really good work."

"Okay, I will. Thank you."

"My pleasure. Say, what's your name? I'll let him know you might stop by."

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth Swann."

The man smiled. "Well, it was nice to meet you Elizabeth. I'll definitely give him the tip."

"Thanks." Elizabeth smiled and watched as he walked inside.

"Wait!" She called out, but he was already inside. "I don't know what your name is."

* * *

Elizabeth tried to focus on the children playing in front of her, but it was hard. The few moments she had had with the man on the street kept replaying through her mind. It was as if he stepped out of a dream- his intense dark eyes, his ruggedly attractive appearance, his strong jaw line and cheekbones, even his hands seemed perfect to her. She could tell they were workman's hands, even from where she was standing, but still looked soft enough to have caressing her skin.

Elizabeth blushed. She shouldn't be thinking that here. Hell, she was an engaged woman, she shouldn't ever be thinking like that. But still, there was _something_ about him that made her wish she could was still there talking with him. She couldn't pin point whether it was his looks, the way he talked to her, or this feeling she got just from standing next to him, but he definitely had something that she was definitely missing. Chances were she'd never see him again. She didn't even know his name.

"Miss 'Lizbeth." she heard a little voice break out her out of her reverie.

"Yes, Chloe?" She asked looking down at the little girl standing at her feet.

"Are you mad at me?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide and her little lip quivering.

"Oh sweetie. Why would you say that?" Elizabeth asked bending down so she was face to face with the three year old.

"Well, you aren't pwaying dolls wiff me. And you ahways pway wiff me."

"I'm sorry Chloe. I guess I was just thinking about something else. Let's go play dolls." She said holding out her hand to the girl. "What do you say?"

The girl's face broke out into a smile and took her hand, and the two walked over to the doll house in the room.

* * *

As Elizabeth walked home that day, her mind was still on the tall, dark, and handsome man from the design company. She _had_ to see him again. But how?

She knew that he knew the man in the carpentry section, William Turner. He had said that hadn't he? So maybe if she went and saw Turner, she could get a little more information on him. She smiled as she thought of how easy that would be:

_"Oh, yes. Rick told me all about you Miss Swann. He said I needed to take special care on this one."_

_"Rick?" She asked playing innocent._

_"Rick Smith. He said you spoke to him about getting your cabinets done."_

_"Oh. I remember him know. He was such a wonderful help..."_

Yes, it would be as easy as that. It would only be a matter of time before she could figure out whatever the man on the street's name was, and she knew William Turner was the one person who could help. She would just have to convince James now that maybe getting their cabinets done really was a good idea.


	3. THREE

Elizabeth sat at the easel situated in the room that was considered her 'office' and let her fingers travel across the canvas in front of her. She had really only spent an hour or so at the orphanage before heading home and digging out her old art supplies. Her mind was still on the man from outside on the sidewalk. She could almost still see his dark, penetrating eyes staring into hers, and his melodic voice filling her ears.

Elizabeth laughed as she felt like she was starring in some trashy romance novel. _What is going on with me?_ She thought to herself. _I haven't had a crush since I was in college. _

She continued to let her fingers flow across the page, still not exactly sure what they were creating, her mind simply in other places. She couldn't get over the fact that for the few moments she spoke to him, she felt a spark - a spark that was entirely new to her, and now wanted to channel that feeling onto the page.

"Elizabeth!" She heard James' booming voice echo through the apartment. She quickly put the charcoal down and brushed off her fingers before walking out to the lobby where her fiancé was currently standing.

"There you are. I just wanted to make sure you had made it home. I went by the shelter but they said you had already left."

Elizabeth smiled. He had actually worried about her.

"It's absolutely preposterous that you wanted to walk today." He said walking into the bedroom and headed for the closet.

Elizabeth's smile quickly fell at the annoyed tone in his voice. She watched as he pulled out a casual navy blue polo and a pair of dark khakis and began to unbutton the dress shirt he was currently wearing.

"You going somewhere?" She asked.

"Oh, I have more work to do at the campaign office. I'll probably be working late tonight actually. I just wanted to stop by and pick up some more comfortable clothes."

Elizabeth sighed and nodded her head. "Well, have a great night."

James nodded, his gaze not leaving the closet. "Thank you."

He reached to the farthest section of the closet and pulled out a sweater. Elizabeth didn't even hesitate to take that as her moment to walk back into the office and continue the piece she was currently working on. This was how their relationship worked anymore. It just existed.

She knew that at some point she really loved James Norrington. Years ago, when she first met him his passion and determination was unlike anything she had ever witnessed before. He was young and charismatic, and just like the city of Chicago was right now, Elizabeth became fascinated with him. And she loved him. It was only until recently that she questioned whether or not she was _in _love with him, and only then did she doubt she ever was. Looking back, it terrified her to think that maybe she had misinterpreted her admiration and respect for something more.

The thought itself scared her. They were to be married in a little over a year from now. She had given him her word, and Elizabeth Swann was not a person to go back on her promises. But what if she really truly wasn't in love with him? Could she put it behind her and spend the rest of her life with him? Of course she could. But would she be happy? Probably not. Elizabeth could hardly remember her mother, but she remembered nights where she would beg her father to tell him stories of her, of them, and the love they shared. She could always remember being a hopeless romantic, something her father said she inherited from her mother, and the stories her father shared would be the only ones that could make her fall asleep happily.

She wanted what her parents had had. To have someone look at her with a gaze that told her she meant everything to them. To be in a relationship where each person completely understood and respected for who they were, not who they wanted them to be.

Elizabeth sighed and put down the piece of charcoal and reached over for her cell phone. Her fingers quickly dialed a number she would forever know by heart. She placed the phone to her ear and listened as it began to ring.

"Weatherby Swann." A deep voice answered and a smile immediately fell onto Elizabeth's lips.

"Hi Daddy." She said simply, the smile evident in her voice.

"Elizabeth! My darling! What a wonderful surprise!"

Elizabeth laughed at his jovial response. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know how my work can be. But that's boring talk. How are you? We haven't talked in over a week."

Elizabeth immediately felt guilty. Even though she lived miles and miles from her father, they were still extremely close and made a point of talking to each other every couple of days.

"Oh, you know. It's been pretty crazy with James' election coming up here in the next few months."

Weatherby paused for a moment. "I'll ask again. How are _you_ doing Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth smiled into the phone at her father, knowing what he was getting at. Weatherby Swann had always been a man who fought for human rights, and none were more important than his own family's. When he was young and new to the political world, he could very well have made his wife, Lorraine, stand by him as any typical politician's wife would. He could dress her up in nice suits, and he knew very well that the voters would fall in love with her just as he had. But that wasn't who Lorraine Swann was. She was a free spirit, who loved life and everything in it. She was a music major at NYU when she met Weatherby. They had a writing class together, and hit it off after she made a joke to him about his name. She went on to play and teach music until her life was taken all those years ago. And Weatherby wouldn't have had her any other way. It was what she loved, and he loved her for it.

So in turn, it killed him that his daughter had fallen into that place that he would never allow his own wife to be. Elizabeth was just like her mother, so talented and full of life, that Weatherby couldn't stand to see her held down. Even though Elizabeth had very well explained why she wasn't fulfilling her dreams of going into the world of design, he knew that her motives were not her own.

"I'm the same as I usually am I guess. Just trying to figure out some things I guess."

"Anything I can help you with?" He responded after hearing her voice fall slightly.

"Yeah, probably. I think I'm just going to think about it myself for a little bit more." Elizabeth said. "But don't be surprised when you get a phone call from me here shortly frantically needing your advice."

"I look forward to those calls." He laughed. "So tell me about your week."

"Everything has been good at the orphanage. I've spent most of my week there. I just can't help but want more for those kids." She paused. "And then I stood outside Westner and Cohem Art and Design like an idiot for almost half an hour today."

Weatherby laughed. "Just stood outside it?"

"Yep. Just looking up at it. Before someone came up and broke me out of the reverie I was in."

"I'm sure that was quite an interesting scene. Maybe next time you'll actually go in. You know, set up an interview."

Elizabeth sighed. "I actually am going to go back. Just not for that reason. The man who I talked to worked there, and I mentioned something about cabinets and he told me to see their carpenter. Which reminds me I have to call James."

"Well, I can let you go. I'm in the middle of a proposition anyways."

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow and we can chat more. Sound good?"

"Sounds great. Talk to you then. I love you."

"I love you too Daddy. Bye bye." Elizabeth said into the receiver and hung up the phone. She thought for a few moments about the conversation before dialing another familiar number.

"Please tell me this is an emergency." James' rather annoyed voice sounded through the phone.

"Uh, not really." Elizabeth stammered out. "I just needed to ask a question seeing as how I probably wouldn't see you tonight."

"What's up?"

"Well, remember how we wanted to get new cabinets done? I was thinking about actually going through with that." She said said sheepishly.

"Please tell me that's not why you called."

"Uh, yeah."

"Fine. That's fine. Please don't bother me unless it's an emergency Elizabeth. I'm working on very important stuff here." James scolded.

"I'm sorry, James. Really I am. Thank you, have a good night."

She listened as the receiver clicked over, signaling that he had hung up on her. She sighed and set the phone down, picking up the charcoal and went back to work on the canvas in front of her.

* * *

Elizabeth woke up early the next morning with the intentions of getting out of the house before James even woke up. She knew he didn't get home the night before until well after three in the morning. He had thought she was fast asleep when he crawled into bed, but the truth of the matter was she had stayed up just to see what time he did eventually get home. She had stayed like that, pretending to be asleep, for the next half hour or so, thinking how odd the entire situation was. If running for mayor of Chicago was this intense, she could only imagine what more extreme position's campaigns were like.

She quickly tip-toed into the hallway, and made her way to the bathroom at the other end of the condo, wanting to avoid waking him up by showering in the one connected to their bedroom.

After she had showered, gotten dressed, curled her hair to perfection, and applied her daily makeup, she quickly scribbled James' a note, grabbed an apple and stepped out the door with him still fast asleep in bed.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

Elizabeth quickly helped Rebecca, an elderly woman in charge of the orphanage, set up for the children's breakfast. There were thirty-two of them that currently called the place their home and meal times could be quite hectic.

"I can't thank you enough for all the time you spend here Elizabeth." Rebecca said to her as she put out the plates and silverware for the children.

"You don't have to thank me. I love these children." Elizabeth responded honestly. Sure, it was James' idea that she work at the orphanage but she truly did love the children she worked with everyday.

"Well, I know they love you too. Especially the older ones. I think having me around can be kind of stuffy for them, and you are definitely a burst of fresh air for them. You're young and can related to them more."

Elizabeth smiled at the older woman. "You know that's not true. Everyone of the kids here love you so much. They'd be lost if it weren't for you."

Rebecca beamed at the comment from her colleague before the were both distracted by a pair of shuffling feet. They both turned to see a boy around the age of ten standing in the doorway.

"Tyler!" Elizabeth said to him "What are you doing up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep." The young boy said in a muffled voice, clearly still fighting to wake up. "Can I help you guys?"

Rebecca and Elizabeth shared a look before Rebecca nodded her head at Tyler. "Of course you can. Why don't you go get the napkins for us?"

Tyler smiled and walked into the kitchen, while Elizabeth and Rebecca continued to set everything up. Breakfast was just the beginning of the long day ahead of them in the orphanage.

* * *

Elizabeth left the orphanage at noon, once Rebecca's daughter Amy had shown up to help. She had had her mind set this morning that she would see Mr. Turner about her cabinets, or at least set up an appointment to see him sometime this afternoon. The man from the sidewalk yesterday was still an imminent figure in her mind, and she knew that she had to somehow figure out who he was. Maybe that way she could put an end to this silly crush she had been harboring.

Elizabeth stood outside the design center a few moments before bracing herself and walking through the front doors. The inside was everything she had remembered it from when her class had toured it years ago. It was still one of the most incredible places she had ever set foot in.

She looked over at the directory and saw that William Turner's office was on the third floor, and made her way to the stairwell at the back of the room. She knew she could take the elevator, but there was somehting so much reassuring about the stairs.

She quickly raced up the steps and once she had stepped onto the third floor, she folloed the signs that led to William Turner's office. A secretary sat to the left of his office door, rapidly typing away at the keyboard in front of her.

"Can I help you?" the secretary asked impatiently.

"I, uh, well," Elizabeth stammered. "I wanted to set up an appointment with William Turner."

"Do you have a day in mind?" The secreatary asked, her voice more indignant than before.

"Well, I guess the soonest you can fit me in."

The secretary looked at a calender in front of her, and then looked up to meet Elizabeth's gaze for the first time since she had arrived. "One of Mr. Turner's appointments for this afternoon canceled on him. You can meet with him in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Elizabeth said incredulously.

"Is that not okay? You said as soon as I could. Well that's as soon as I can do."

"No, no that's fine. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Okay, I'll notify Mister Turner and you can sit and wait over there." She said flicking her eyes to a set of chairs on the other side of the room.

Eliazabeth nodded her head and took a seat, fiddling with her gloves the entire time. She had never expected that she'd actually be able to see the man today. Now it only seemed that either fate was on her side or she was ten minutes away from making a complete fool out of herself.

"Miss." The secretary called out interrupting her thoughts. "He said he'll just see you now."

Elizabeth stood up and smiled. "Thank you."

She walked over to the door, turned the knob and stepped inside. Her eyes immediately focused on the man sitting behind a large desk, obviously looking down at something on it. The only thing she could see was his dark, curly hair that was tied back at his neck but she immediately felt like she recognized him.

She stepped further into the room, and the man looked up once her presence was known. It was then that Elizabeth knew who this man was. His intense dark eyes stared into hers, and a smirk formed on his gorgeous face.

Elizabeth stood a few moments with her mouth slightly open, completely stunned. "It-it-it's you."


	4. FOUR

Elizabeth stood astonished in the large office, staring at the man she had been thinking about the past few days, and watched as his handsome expression changed from serious to a more jovial smirk.

"Who else would it be?" He asked.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "You're a tricky one Mr. Turner."

He smiled in response to her comment and stood up to greet her. Elizabeth couldn't help but briefly run her eyes down his figure taking everything in. His white dress shirt was rolled up at the sleeves and adorned with a dark charcoal colored vest that hug snugly to his broad chest. Her eyes continued to venture south, but she quickly shook her head and looked up into his eyes. They were playful, and she fought hard not to smile at the expression.

"So you're looking to get your cabinets redone?" He asked, the look in his eyes showing that he had wanted to say something completely different. Elizabeth nodded her head, and took a seat across from the desk where Will had just been sitting. Will followed in suit, and pulled out a few papers from his desk, placing them on the desk.

"I don't have anything with me." Elizabeth quickly interjected. "This was kind of last minute decision, and I was only stopping by to make an appointment. I didn't expect to see you so soon. I don't have any pictures or floor plans, or what not. "

Will smiled. "That's alright; this is just a prelim meeting anyways. We'll set up another meeting to get more details and such."

Immediately, Elizabeth felt more relieved. They spent the next ten minutes or so looking through different options.

"I was kind of thinking a lighter colored wood. Maybe a lighter oak or possibly ash. The walls are taupe so I don't want to drown everything out with dark colors."

Will perked his head up from the paper and looked at her, his eyebrows showing slight confusion. "Taupe?"

Elizabeth met his gaze and nodded.

"What is it you do again?"

Elizabeth realized the confusion. "Well, mostly I do volunteer work. Orphanages, homeless shelters, stuff like that. My fiancé is running for mayor."

Will completely ignored the last comment. Something told him there was more to her story than what she was letting on.

"I went to the Chicago Institute of Art and Design." Elizabeth blurted out. She could sense Will's confusion, and wanted to clarify. She rarely talked about her time or experience at CIAD, mostly because she was never around the right people to talk about it with. She had once gotten into a conversation with one of James' contributors and felt like she was being judged the entire time. James had come home that night enraged that she would bring up such conversation at an event. Apparently it was detrimental to his campaign if people knew she was of those artsy, free-spirited liberals. She was artsy, and free-spirited, but she didn't see why that mattered.

Will's face widened in a smile as everything came together. "And you do volunteer work?"

Elizabeth didn't know how to respond. She opened her mouth to form some kind of answer, but the intercom buzzed.

Will picked up the phone, and nodded a few times as his receptionist rambled on. Elizabeth tried to look like she was engulfed in the papers in front of her but couldn't help but try and listen in.

"No, that's fine Rita. I'm probably just going to stay in for lunch anyways. No, you're okay to go. Uh, huh. No, I got it. Thanks Rita."

Elizabeth could probably listen to his voice all day. She didn't really know how to describe it. It was smooth, yet husky, and incredibly melodic. And she couldn't deny that his accent was an immediate turn-on. Not that she would really ever admit it either.

Will put the phone back into the cradle and shifted his eyes so that his gaze was on Elizabeth again. She couldn't help but feel like a teenage girl again as the motion sent shivers down her spine.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Apparently its lunch time and my receptionist just wanted to make sure it was okay to leave."

"Oh, do you need me to leave? I'm sure we can continue this some other time." Elizabeth asked, and started to gather up her things.

Will shook his head, and placed one of his hands on hers. "It's really okay. I'm just going to have something brought in anyways. You can join me if you'd like and we can continue what we were doing."

Elizabeth stared at his hand on hers, and fought the urge to interlace her fingers with his. "Okay." She responded quietly and nodded her head. "That sounds good."

She felt his hand leave hers, and noticed how much colder everything seemed with it gone.

'_What is my problem?' _She thought to herself. _'I am an ENGAGED woman!'_

Within twenty minutes Will had ordered Chinese, gathered up all his notes and papers off of his desk, and the two were engulfed in conversation while attempting to eat fried rice with chopsticks.

"So why do you do volunteer work if you have a degree from CIAD?" Will asked.

Elizabeth looked down at her food before answering. She knew this question would probably come up. "I guess I don't really have a good answer for you. I need to keep my focus on James' campaign."

Will looked at her skeptically. "James? As in James Norrington?"

Elizabeth nodded her head in response, her mouth full.

"Wow. I guess I didn't really put two and two together. I don't really know a lot about the guy."

"It's just a really busy time for us." She responded nonchalantly, picking around her food.

Will narrowed his eyes at the answer, noting how scripted it sounded, and wondered if she answered the same way to everyone on the subject. He didn't really want to push the matter further, but was dying to get to the bottom of the story.

"So what did you study at CIAD?" he asked changing the topic.

Immediately, Elizabeth perked up. "Mostly design. I have a degree in both Interior and Graphic Design, and then a basic art minor."

Will leaned back in his chair, generally impressed. "That's quite a lot. Did you do all that in four years?"

Again, Elizabeth beamed. "Four and a half. I loved it there. I just wish I could have done more. Where did you study?"

It was Will's turn to grin. "I actually didn't go to a university. My dad was a carpenter back in Kent, and I just took up the trade. We moved to the States when I was about fifteen. My dad thought there would be more opportunity for us here."

"So that explains the accent." Elizabeth commented, before thinking to herself, _'That incredibly sexy accent.'_

Will laughed. "Yeah."

"And now you work at Westner and Cohem? That's amazing."

"It wasn't easy." Will laughed. "I think I bugged Max for weeks on giving me an interview. I don't think he really wanted a carpentry section in the building, but I was persistent. After I finally got him to look at some of my freestyle pieces he put me on board."

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. "That's incredible. You can't believe how envious I am of you right now. Maxwell Cohem is my idol."

"Yeah, Max is a great guy."

"I only saw him once when I was fourteen. My dad brought me to Chicago and we took a tour of this building. I've been in love with the company every since."

"You're dad doesn't live here in Chicago?"

"No, uh, my dad's the Governor of New York."

"Your Weatherby Swann's daughter?" Will asked taken back.

Elizabeth nodded her head. She was used to this reaction.

"Please tell me, is there anything else I need to know?" Will asked sarcastically.

"I really like talking to you." Elizabeth answered before realizing what she had even said. Immediately, her cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

Will smiled at the response, but didn't say anything. It was already clear Elizabeth was mortified by her outburst.

"You a big fan of Joel Meyerowitz?" he asked.

Elizabeth looked up and smiled. "I think his work is incredible."

"Well, Max gave us all tickets to a gallery doing a feature on his work. I have another client coming in ten minutes, but we could meet again there tomorrow. You could bring me the pictures and floor plans needed, and get a little inspiration in the mix."

Elizabeth thought for a moment about her plans for the next day. James would no doubt be busy most of the day, and she could shift her "work" schedule around if she needed to. "What time is the showing?"

"It's from noon to three. We could meet there at noon if you'd like?"

"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow then." Elizabeth said gathering her stuff and standing up.

"See you tomorrow Ms. Swann." Will said politely, also standing and making his way to see her out.

Elizabeth stopped and turned. "Please, call me Elizabeth. I know we're not exactly friends, but this was the best day I've had in a while, as silly as that sounds."

Will genuinely smiled. "Okay, see you tomorrow Elizabeth."

Elizabeth returned the smile and stepped out the door. Will stood and watched as she walked away for a few moments. He looked around the room and noticed Rita was not back from her lunch break yet.

"Elizabeth?" he called out after the retreating figure. She stopped and turned to face him, the look in her eyes curious.

"I really enjoyed talking to you as well." He said, a wide smile growing on his face as he did so.

A smile broke out on Elizabeth's face. "Have a great day, Will. See you tomorrow."


	5. FIVE

Will walked around his apartment, nervously searching for his keys. He had spent most of the previous night, and all of the current morning mad at himself for inviting Elizabeth Swann to the showing today. Sure, she was a client, and it wasn't like he had never discussed business outside of the office before. He knew that if he tried hard enough, the meeting would stay as professional as all the other meetings had been.

But Elizabeth made that hard. In the limited time he had spent with her, he could identify a lot. She was smart, and obviously talented. She seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, and he could see a sense of humor inside of her similar to his own. He found her honest and refreshing, and extremely easy to talk to. In the two hours or so they had spent together the day before, he quickly began to feel that Elizabeth had, and always had been a dear and close friend, one that he could tell almost anything to. And damn, was she beautiful. The very thought itself made his breath hitch.

And she was engaged.

To James bloody Norrington.

Will let out an angry sigh as he searched once again under the couch pillows for the keys. He glanced over at the clock on the microwave. He had nearly thirty minutes to get to the gallery, and he wanted to be there early.

Honestly, he didn't want to go at all. He knew that it was going to be harder than hell to stay professional with Elizabeth, and his first instinct to that was to cancel the meeting altogether. But like an idiot, he didn't get a number to contact her, and he would feel guilty knowing she was there waiting on him.

He turned and went back to the kitchen and only became more frustrated when he saw the keys sitting on the counter. Had they really been there all along? He grabbed and hustled out the door, already afraid he was going to be late.

* * *

Elizabeth stood in front of the gallery and waited patiently for Will. He had told her noon, but she had a habit of being early to everything she went to. Glancing down at her watch she saw it was only eleven thirty five.

She was nervous, and for a mixture of different reasons. First, and most obviously, she was spending time with an attractive man other than her fiancé. Not only was she spending the afternoon with Will, she hadn't told James that she was. In his mind, she was currently at the orphanage feeding and playing with young children.

It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong, though. Her meeting with Will was strictly for professional matters, and she had no reason to feel guilty. Still, her mind argued, why hadn't she told James if the meeting _was_ only strictly professional?

She shook the thought and looked up the building behind her. She hadn't been to a gallery or even seen an exhibit in over a year. Back in college, she probably went every other weekend with her girlfriends from CIAD, but she saw herself going less and less as her relationship with James progressed.

"Elizabeth!" She heard Will's voice call out, and she turned around and saw him approaching her. She couldn't help the smile that came to her lips as he neared her.

"Hey!" She greeted, and it was Will's turn to smile.

"You haven't been here long have you?" He asked, Elizabeth almost forgetting how much she loved his voice.

"No, not at all. I just got here before you did actually."

Will seemed relieved at that. "Good, I was worried. I'm usually the early one but I couldn't find my keys this morning."

"Well, don't sweat it." Elizabeth said and looked at her watch. "You're actually still early."

"Oh good. You want to head inside?" He asked looking towards the building.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

* * *

Two hours later, Will and Elizabeth were rounding the corners on the last section of the exhibit, entering the section that contained Meyerowitz' Ground Zero collection. This collection was one of Will's favorites, and he was curious to see how Elizabeth reacted to it as well.

He had been to many gallery hops and exhibits in his lifetime, but this had so far been his most favorite experience. Looking at a piece with Elizabeth was like seeing art for the first time. She had a comment for everything, whether it was favorable or not. She spent several minutes at each photo, wanting to take in every detail she possibly could. And he absolutely loved watching her reactions. From the large grin saying how much she loved it to the quizzical brow when she didn't quite understand; she had an array of gorgeous expressions telling him exactly what she felt.

Elizabeth stopped in front of picture of a firefighter standing in front of the rubble and Will could see tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"You know, I was in New York when it happened. My father and I went down to try and help but they wouldn't let us through. We went to a nearby hospital and did what we could there."

Will didn't respond, but continued to look on as Elizabeth recollected the memories.

"Did you know that Meyerowitz was the only one allowed at Ground Zero for nearly nine months?" She asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, I did actually. It's pretty crazy. I'm glad it was him, though. He documented it well."

Elizabeth nodded her head in response, her eyes never leaving the large photo. "Me too."

They continued through the rest of the gallery, Elizabeth mesmerized by every photo they passed. She knew they were coming to the end, and she wished more than anything that this afternoon could last just a few hours longer.

"Hey, I'd like you to meet someone." Will said, shaking her from her thoughts and he led her to where a group of men were standing. Fear took over Elizabeth's body as she saw Maxwell Cohem in the middle of the group.

"Will," she whispered. "No!"

But they were too late.

"Will!" Max called out. "I'm so glad you could make it! What did you think?"

"You know how much I love Meyerowitz, Max." Will said and laughed. "This is Elizabeth. She's one of my clients."

Elizabeth smiled meekly and held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

The man stared at her for a quick moment before shaking her hand, his eyes shifting over to Will before back to Elizabeth. "You as well, my dear."

"Elizabeth actually went to CIAD." Will added, receiving a quick glare from Elizabeth.

Max's eyes lit up at the information. "Is that so? What was your major?"

"Uh, design. I double majored in Graphic and Interior Design." She responded shyly.

Will watched as his boss's face turned from shock to direct interest, and smiled to himself.

"Where do you work?"

"Oh, uh," Elizabeth stuttered out. "I'm actually not, at the moment. Strictly volunteer work and such."

He narrowed his eyes at her, and smiled. "Well, we'll have to do something about that. Bring your portfolio by sometime, Elizabeth. Will, good to see you as always. I'm due for a speech in about ten minutes. I'll catch up with you both later?"

They both nodded their heads as he waved and walked away, the group of men following him in the process.

As soon as he was out of sight, Elizabeth turned to Will, crossed her arms and glared at him.

"What?" He asked with a boyish laugh. "You said how much you wanted to meet him."

Elizabeth looked away and tried to pretend to be mad, but a small smile found its way to her lips. She looked across the street and saw a coffee shop nestled amongst the stores and looked back over at Will. It was roughly two thirty, and James wouldn't even be nearly done with work for another two hours – if it was an early day, which it never was.

"You want to grab some coffee?" Elizabeth asked, mentally preparing herself for rejection. "Or do you need to get back to work."

Will looked over to the coffee shop and smirked. "Nah, I kind of make my own hours. One of the nice things about being your own boss."

Elizabeth smiled at his response and the two headed across the street.

* * *

Will took a sip of his cappuccino, placing the mug back onto its saucer and looked at Elizabeth. She was gazing at one of the promotion signs in the shop, her mind obviously somewhere else.

"You can't honestly tell me you don't want to work at WAC." He said cautiously, not wanting to upset her. "I saw how excited you were when you met Max."

"Of course I was excited." Elizabeth retorted. "The man is like my idol. I'm perfectly happy with what I do now."

Will stared into her eyes, looking for the truth. Part of him believed that Elizabeth had gotten really good at putting on charade.

"Really? That's all?" He asked skeptically.

Elizabeth shifted her gaze away from his and nodded her head. "Uh, huh."

"You went to CIAD and majored in design. You can't honestly tell me you did that so you could spend the rest of your life in homeless centers."

Will knew he was pushing buttons, but Elizabeth needed that. She had fire and passion for art, he had seen that back in the gallery, and she _needed_ to pursue that. As much as he was currently enjoying her company, he would rather her follow her dreams than ever talk to him again.

"My job is to help James win this election." She blurted out. "No one will vote for a man who's engaged to an artsy wannabe hippie."

And the truth was out.

"Elizabeth," Will said in a tender voice causing her to look at him. "Do you honestly believe that?"

She nodded her head yes, but her eyes said differently. "Honestly? Honestly I would love to work at Westner and Cohem. But James is my fiancé and he doesn't think it's proper for women to have careers. It's so very eighteenth century and it makes no sense to me but that's how it is. I can't ruin his campaign for him. Not when he's working so hard."

Elizabeth shifted her gaze away again, not wanting to see the disappointment in Will's eyes. She knew he was encouraging her to go after her dreams, and she basically told him she wouldn't because of her behind-the-times fiancé.

Elizabeth knew she shouldn't be talking about this, especially not to someone who a stranger only three days ago. But Will already seemed so much more than that to her. Not wanting to push the conversation further, she decided to change the subject.

"I'm sure you know how that goes. You wouldn't want to disappoint the missus at home, now would you?"

Elizabeth said this and immediately looked at his ring finger. Sure he wasn't wearing a ring, she had noticed that at yesterday's meeting, but some men didn't wear their wedding bands. She wanted to hit herself for using that lame line to find out if he was married.

"I wouldn't if there was one. But I also don't think I'd be embarrassed of her or keep her from her dreams."

Elizabeth looked up into his eyes and noticed how intense his gaze was. She also realized that she probably should have been offended by the comment he just made, but she knew he was right. She nodded her head slowly and looked over at the clock on the wall.

"I should probably get going." She put her hand in her pocket and found the paper that had been burning a hole in her pocket for the past few hours and pulled it out. "This, is, uh, my cell number. I had a lot of fun today. Probably the most fun I've had in a while, so thanks."

Will took the paper and stared at in his hands. After everything he had said she still wanted to talk to him again? He quickly dug out his wallet and pulled out one of his cards and handed it to her. "Me too. This is my card; all of my info is on it. We should do this again."

She smiled up at him, and he felt his heart constrict. "Have a good rest of your day Will."

He smiled in response and watched as she departed the store. He looked down at the folded notebook paper in his hands and back up to where she was walking away.

What had just happened?

* * *

Elizabeth sprawled out across her couch with her cell phone in her hand. She needed to talk to her father, but she knew that he was usually busy at this hour. She really just needed someone to talk to her.

She jumped about ten feet when the phone in her hand started buzzing and she quickly answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Elizabeth, its James."

"Hey you. How's it going over there?" Elizabeth smiled genuinely into the phone. It had been a long time since _he_ had actually called _her_.

"Great. I think we're going to make it an early night. Would you like to meet me for dinner?"

"Is there some sort of event going on?" She asked quietly. She wasn't really in the mood to attend some fancy event for the campaign.

"No, I just wanted to do dinner. Just me and you."

Once again, Elizabeth smiled. "I'd love that."

"Great. I'll have a car come around five and pick you up. We'll meet at The Ocean Club, how does that sound?"

"Wonderful, James. I can't wait."

"Great. See you soon."

The phone clicked over and Elizabeth didn't even notice. She was far too excited that James had actually called and wanted to do dinner with her. She jumped off of the bed and went to get dressed.

* * *

Elizabeth sat in her navy blue gown across from her fiancé and took a small sip of her champagne.

"Did I tell you I talked to someone about getting our cabinets done?" She asked and waited for his response.

"James?" She asked, hoping to get his attention. She could see he was reading the menu, but could he really not hear her?

"James!" She said a bit louder and his head shot up.

"Elizabeth, watch your tone!" He hissed under his breath. "There are people everywhere! What do you want them to think? And for God's sakes smile would you?"

Her cheeks burning in embarassment, Elizabeth cowered back in her seat and plastered a smile on her face. She picked her menu up, and went back to deciding what she wanted for dinner. She spent the rest of the evening acting as if she was having the time of her life but on the inside, she was seething.

* * *

**so i updated! yay! **

**so how about you all go review and let me know what you're thinking??? please??**


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